Former Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney came to South Florida Monday to help the Congressional campaign of Republican Carlos Curbelo.

“I am here to do one thing; and that is to officially endorse Carlos,” Romney told a crowd of supporters. “This is the kind of person, not just a career politician, but the kind of person who has lived a real life, in a real community, is a real dad; this is the kind of person I think that Washington needs.”

Romney spent part of the day on a tour of Vicky Bakery, one of the hundreds of small businesses in the heart of District 26. The district spans from Kendall south down to Key West and includes parts of southwest Florida too.

The district is currently represented by Democrat Joe Garcia. Democratic supporters staged a protest outside of the bakery telling Curbelo to avoid what the protesters called Romney-like Republican policies.

“We are here to let him know that we do not agree, that Romney lost in 2012 in Miami-Dade County big and if he goes with those same policies; he will lose too,” said Juan Carlos Cuba of the Miami-Dade Democrats.

Florida’s 26th Congressional District has seen a fair share of controversy and scandal over the past few years. Former Representative David Rivera is currently under a federal investigation. Current Representative Joe Garcia has been plagued by an absentee ballot controversy.

Curbelo said he promises to be scandal free, without controversy, and a change for the better.

“I decided to get up off my couch and run for Congress because I think we deserve better,” Curbelo said. “Governor Romney know we deserve better.

Published at 6:14 PM EST on Aug 18, 2014

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